In commercial transport aircraft, the overhead baggage compartments are typically connected to or mounted on the fuselage structure of the aircraft by means of rigid mounting hardware, such as metal fittings, bolts, rods, and the like. Connection points for connecting the rigid mounting hardware to the fuselage structure are provided on the spars, frame or rib members, stringers, and fuselage skin. Pertinent safety regulations prescribe the necessary strength of the mounting hardware, i.e. the load that must be supported by the mounting hardware without failure, especially in view of extreme loads that arise during emergency landing conditions. Thus, the known mounting arrangements or mounting hardware configurations are intended to provide a safety margin of strength beyond the strength needed for normal operating conditions and specifically to provide sufficient strength for the extreme loads prescribed in the safety regulations.
In the above described manner, it is intended to be assured that the baggage compartments remain at their proper locations and do not fall down or become dislodged even under the prescribed extreme loads, to reduce or minimize the danger of passengers being injured by falling baggage items or components of the baggage compartments, and thus to provide the highest possible measure of safety for the passengers. However, under the extreme conditions of an emergency landing or crash, a certain risk remains that the loads effective on the mounting hardware will exceed the load levels prescribed in the safety regulations. In such a case, the loads may exceed the actual strength limit of the known mounting hardware, such that the hardware fails and the baggage compartments become dislodged or completely fall down onto the passengers. Thus, it has not been possible to completely exclude the danger of injury to the passengers.
If the typical known mounting arrangements were to be strengthened, for example by using mounting members having larger crosssectional dimensions or stronger materials, this would require a considerable expense and effort of reconstruction and alteration in existing aircraft, and of extra construction measures in new aircraft. Moreover, such an approach would result in a significantly greater weight of the mounting hardware as well as the connected structures. Such an increase in weight is undesirable in aircraft.